


What's in a Name?

by Basched



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Battle Banter, Bond of Worthiness, Endgame Fix-It, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Learning to Fly, M/M, Name suggestions, Power share, Quick change, Steve gets a new hammer, Thor and Steve's Excellent Adventures, Thor is still King of New Asgard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-03-02 05:30:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18804685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basched/pseuds/Basched
Summary: A sacred bond binds two men who have been privileged to wield Mjolnir, a bond that stretches far into infinity.





	1. Chapter 1:  Eternal Bond

**Author's Note:**

> I really shouldn't have started this as I need to focus on Caught in a Storm. However, Avengers: Endgame has done this to me. I have other fix-it fics on the go as well, but I wanted to focus on what I wanted to happen, what I feel should have happened for my boys. 
> 
> I don't know when I will update, so please be patient. Though don't let me forget! lol Comments and kudos are much loved! 
> 
> \--------------------------------------------

Thor had asked the Guardians to drop him off here. He needed to be here before carrying on with his journey. 

The forges of Nidavellir continued to flame from the star, but where there had once been over three hundred dwarves living here, there was only Eitri to greet Thor. 

The dwarf was pleased to see the ‘boy’ again but was still wracked with guilt for what Thanos had done to his people. He didn’t mention Thor’s appearance or make any comment about the King of New Asgard, he simply knelt down and offered his support for the pain he knew the Asgardian had gone through. 

“Worry not, Eitri,” Thor said, smiling and patting the dwarf’s arm. “I have new hope. Can you help me one more time?” 

Eitri nodded. He felt in the young Asgardian’s touch, great anticipation and joy, and it made Eitri happy. It was more than hope Thor was feeling, it was immense, and Eitri could’ve sworn he heard the cracking booms of thunder throughout the whole forge. He knew that someone else was responsible for this change in Thor, he knew that they were going to be the start of a new life for Thor Odinson and the rest of his people. 

“I know what you need, sire.” 

The big grin from Thor was what Eitri needed to begin his work again. 

 

\---------------------------

 

_“You’re going alone?”_

_“Yeah. It should be simple enough.”_

_“I will come with you! Show you Asgard…”_

_Steve rested his hand on Thor’s shoulder. It wasn’t because Steve didn’t want Thor to come with him, he wished more than anything that Thor would join him, but there was something else he had to do first. Some unfinished business._

_“You’ll come back?” Thor asked._

_Steve smiled. “For you?”_

_Thor blushed and shuffled his feet. His fingers scratched at his beard and then his belly. “You don’t have to…”_

_Steve’s hand squeezed, and his smile brightened. “Yes, I do. For you, I will. So, tell me where and when and I’ll be there.”_

_Thor placed his hand over Steve’s and pulled him close for a hug._

_His voice whispered the coordinates and time in Steve’s ear. Then there was a name._

_“Nidavellir.”_

_“I’ll be there.”_

_“Promise?”_

_“I swear on Mjolnir… I promise.”_

_Thor’s hand let go of Mjolnir and Thor continued to marvel at the sight of Steve holding it. For the first time in five years, he felt like himself again. He could feel._

_Thor felt tears of happiness welling up in his eyes, and when he hugged Steve again, a new and combined strength soared through his veins, the comforting closeness from his friend filled him with joy._

 

\-------------------------

Steve arrived to the sound of roaring machinery and the stifling intensity of immense heat. Steam wafted around the enormous forge, metal clanged on metal from somewhere in the distance, and there were voices. 

Steve hadn’t been off-world often--once, he'd been off-world once--but this place was far different from the 'garden'.

“So this is Nidavellir.” It wasn't what he expected, but it was impressive. 

Steve's Quantum suit vanished, and he was left sweating in the shirt and pants he’d been wearing when he said goodbye to Peggy. The shirt clung to him in a wet, disgusting clump and Steve wished he had worn something else. He highly doubted that there were showers in this place. 

“Thor?! Are you here?” 

He wandered around but stopped to gaze upon the star at the centre of the rings. Rocket had told Steve all about how Thor had started the rings turning--in space without a spacesuit!-- how he had the energy of the star tearing through him… and Steve seeing this place for himself, was even more agog and awed by such a sight. No human could have survived the fires and flames of a star. Thor had.

“Thor?” 

He called out several times, but Thor still didn’t respond. Concerned, Steve continued to look for him, with a pang of concern and worry, but something made him stop. 

It was sitting there, next to the mould which it had no doubt come from and still radiating the heat from the star. Steve lifted up his hand and reached for the handle, but as his fingers were about to grab hold, he paused. 

This wasn’t his. It wasn’t right for him to pick it up or even attempt to touch it. 

“It is, you know. Yours.” 

Steve turned around, and there was Thor, leaning on Stormbreaker. Some of his locks of hair were tied up, his beard had a single thick braid instead of being just a mass of matted bristles, and his armour was polished and cleaned. He looked different, happier.

He looked glorious. 

“It belongs to you,” Thor said, with a smile that seemed to radiate as much warmth as the star. “It’s been made for you.” 

“Another Mjolnir?” asked Steve. The hammer looked like the old one, with a few minor little differences. There were tinges of blue and red amongst the silver Uru, little glints as the light and flames from the molten fires flickered over it. 

“Well.. more like a Mjolnir mark II.” Thor stopped leaning on Stormbreaker and approached Steve with proud confidence that had been missing for so long. He held out his hand, gesturing Steve to pick it up. 

“I’m not calling it that.” Steve joked, turning back to embrace Thor in a hug instead. “It’s good to see you.” 

Thor’s arms squeezed Steve, with a mite bit too much enthusiasm, and Stormbreaker knocked against the back of Steve’s head. The gasp that escaped Steve’s mouth almost had the stout Asgardian King in a panic, thinking he had hurt his friend. Steve patted Thor’s back several times, and an easing stroke down Thor’s arm was enough to calm him.

“Aye… “ Thor sighed with a soft laugh. “I’m pleased you’re here and that you've agreed to journey with me.”

“I wouldn’t miss it, Thor.” 

The hug lasted a lot longer than the ones they’d shared before, but it didn’t feel awkward or weird. Steve allowed Thor to hold him, knowing what this really meant for him, feeling how much more uplifted Thor was. 

“Are you sure that hammer is for me?” Steve asked. 

Thor finally broke the hug and nodded, like an excited and giddy child who had made a present for their best friend. Thor directed him back to the hammer and took up Steve’s hand. In a gentle and almost sensual manner, Thor closed Steve’s hand around the handle. 

The instant their fingers grasped the hammer, ripples of lightning coursed through them. Their eyes lit up, and they were buzzed with a pleasurable and powerful high.

When Steve had summoned Mjolnir in the battle against Thanos, and when he felt the power of Thor flowing through him, it had been like an angry storm had ignited inside of him, ready to rain down destruction and tear Thanos apart. 

Steve wasn’t sure what it was that made him worthy to do this. Whether it was the need to save his friend from being killed and from losing everything or that Steve was willing to sacrifice himself at that moment, he didn’t know. What he did know was that power inside him was raged with fury. 

The swelling storm that was inside him, now, was new. It wasn’t angry… it was jubilant, rousing and rejuvenating. It was the kind of storm which renewed life, refreshed and fertilised the earth with vitality and strength. Steve liked it. He liked it a lot. 

So too did Thor by the look on his face. 

Their breaths hitched, caught in inhalation, as Thor lifted their hands and the hammer up so he could lean in close to it.

“Whosoever holds this weapon,” Thor chanted the words in his own tongue, beautifully melodic with his deep tones, “if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” 

A warm throbbing pulse emanated from the hammer, it ran up the length of their arms and, like a gentle wave against a shore, it rolled pleasurably over their bodies. Steve closed his eyes and let the waves continue to wash over him. 

“A sacred bond unites all those who have ever been privileged to wield Mjolnir, a bond which stretches far into infinity,” Thor’s words were croaking, breaking with emotion. “When you lifted Mjolnir and saved my life, I was overjoyed… you are worthy, Steve, of my power and of so much more. I felt you using my powers, I felt your rage and your need… your fear for my life…” 

“I know.” Steve opened his eyes and saw the lightning still glowing in Thor’s, “Somehow, I knew you could.”

“You returned Mjolnir to its time, and its destruction, but this bond we share…” Thor’s smile turned sad but brightened again when Steve’s other hand covered his own. “I don’t want to lose it.” 

“Neither do I.”

“Etiri made this for you, I asked him to so we don’t.”

“It’s why I came back, Thor. I did promise after all. It's gonna be a new start.” 

A new life. 

Steve had returned to Peggy in the past, and spending those few days with her had made it tempting to stay and live out the rest of his life with her, but he had promised Thor. Even when Steve was in that time, the feel of Thor and his powers was difficult to ignore. He had to come back. 

Also, Peggy told him to go back. They had had their time, short as it was, and while Peggy was pleased he came back for the dance, she was right.

Steve smiled. He could never win an argument with her, and as pleasant and sad as their parting was, it brought them closure. They could have their own futures. They could finally let go. 

“So… er… what are we calling it?” asked Steve, peering down at the letters and runes magically glistening on the Uru body. Apart from those, the metal was pristine, and not a single blemish or imperfection tarnished it, it was perfect. It needed a perfect name.

“Eitiri has left that decision up to you,” Thor let go of Steve and the hammer and stepped back. He held up Stormbreaker and sparks shot between the axe and the hammer. “It is only fitting that you get to name it.” 

Steve tried to think of something, a majestic name like Stormbreaker or Jarnbjorn, but nothing was coming to him, nothing that felt right. Not yet. 

He had to get to know this hammer first. 

“A name is important,” Thor held Stormbreaker close to his chest, and lovingly stroked it. “sometimes knowing a name is immediate, obvious, and clear as a sunny sky. Some names cannot be rushed, and if you need time… then it will wait. We shall wait.” 

“In the meantime?” 

There was a rumble and a growl, and it wasn’t discreet. Steve had to laugh because their next step, their first step into their new lives, was clear as a sunny sky. 

“Sorry,” Steve said, rubbing his stomach. “I guess I’m a little hungry.” 

“I know just the place to eat!” Thor held Stormbreaker above his head and pulled Steve closer. He chuckled when he felt Steve tense and the smile on Steve’s face turned to one of nervous fear. “Never travelled by Bi-Frost before?”

“Nope.” 

Thor laughed and it echoed around the forge. 

“Then this is going to be fun!”


	2. Come fly with me  ("Like a Jedi?")

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A shower. Food. That's all fine and well, but on this world... there is nothing greater than flying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's something I've always wanted to write! I took a very old WIP and added it to this series, with a few minor changes. If you've not seen Endgame, problie best you do as it does have a major spoiler. 
> 
> Enjoy this chapter folks! xx
> 
>  
> 
> \--------------------

The rumble and the churning of the clouds had the people of this world scattering in all directions. When the Bifrost punched through the sky and scorched the city’s plaza, they all came scurrying back with eager anticipation. 

Steve was left a little dazed, but the rush of travelling through the Bifrost left him with a massive grin on his face. He couldn’t wait until they did that again. 

The name of this particular planet eluded Steve, or rather the pronunciation of it did. Thor said it several times, and it was more than a tongue twister, as Thor chirped sounds and a language of birdsong. Steve couldn’t keep a straight face either, because watching Thor and hearing the pitch of his usually deep tone go higher was endearing.

The people of this world knew the son of Odin, they crowded around him and happily welcomed him and his companion, all eager to show them around and how to have a ‘good time.’ 

The capital city had beautiful architecture. Skyscrapers and domes, everything, from individual homes to public buildings, was made with an alien nouveau flair, in the dark black/red bark of giant trees. On Earth, the natural landscape would be demolished to build, but here, everything was a part of nature, everything was one. It was all intertwined. 

Steve badly wanted to draw this world, and the indigenous people, who all had varieties of coloured and patterned feathers instead of hair, but Steve didn’t have anything to draw with or on. Also, he really needed a shower. 

Thor took him to the bathhouses, marbled halls built around blossom trees, the blue petals of which would fall into and scent the waters. There were what looked like large marble bird baths, filled with shallow waters that people wouldn’t just sit in to soak and relax but to actually roll and shake, to splash themselves. Like birds. 

It was bizarre to watch, and thankfully, Steve didn’t have to use any of them or do what the others did. There were some showers in cubicles, reserved especially for the off-worlders, and Steve and Thor weren’t the only ones who were here for a visit. 

Steve took a quick shower in one, and even though it was tempting to stay longer, his need for food was greater. 

Thor took a bit longer in his because his long hair needed more than several washes to get back to the soft golden strands they’d been before. Also, his beard took a while to wash, and now it had fluffed up even more. 

“I know the best place to eat!” Thor said when Steve’s stomach grumbled again. Thor reached for Stormbreaker. Thor gave his abdomen a rub—and fingered his belly button to make sure it was dry—before slamming the end of the handle of Stormbreaker on the floor. 

There was a flash of lighting, and the towel that had been around his waist vanished. Thor was now fully dressed in casual Asgardian attire. His hair was loose, save for some braids, and his fluffy beard was tied into a single long plat. 

“Show off,” Steve snarked. “Give me a few minutes, I’ll be dressed as quick as I can.” 

“It doesn’t have to take you that long, Steve. You can dress in seconds.”

“I can do what you just did?” 

“Yes. Of course! With practice. The first time I did it, I was but a boy, and instead of putting on some ceremonial robes for a special occassion, I ended up in one of my mother’s dresses.” 

“Oh-kay!" The mental image of young Thor in his mom's dress popped into Steve's mind. Perhaps it was best he didn't try the quick change option, in case he ended up in someone else's clothes or none at all. "I’ll try another time.”

Steve got dressed in the normal and only way he knew how, and Thor then took him to a part of the city, one that reminded him of the street restaurants in China Town. 

There was a long path, where the canopies of smaller trees joined over the top, and lots of stalls lined each side, each with unique dishes cooking away and producing so many different smells it was intoxicating. 

“Try this!” Thor kept offering Steve various samples, often talking to the vendors and cooks in their strange bird-like language, and they were enthusiastic about the Asgardian King wanting their delicacies. They hardly left the two of them alone. 

Steve couldn’t say what it was he was trying, though, by how the food crunched in his mouth, it was probably bugs or insects. Meatier options were few and far between, but Thor managed to find one stall that had some and then he bought whole bag fulls and directed Steve away to find a place to sit and enjoy the meal. 

They ended up on the side of a hill, lush with green grass and purple flowers which resembled lavender. They had a perfect view of the city, so they sat on the grass, and with the bags of food open around them, they tucked into whatever they fancied and enjoyed the view. 

“You’ve picked a good spot,” Steve said, tearing off some meat from a bone with his teeth. He chewed a couple of times before swallowing, allowing the flavour to burst pleasantly on his tongue. 

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Thor said. Steve _‘hmmed’_ in agreement. “I came here often as a boy when I first started to fly. Heimdall would let the Bifrost open here when I wanted to get away from my father. The people here, they love to fly, and they helped me. It’s so free and open… it’s peaceful. I was able to be myself, not an heir to the throne. Now… I come here again to find myself, to find the peace I felt so long ago.” 

“We can stay here then,” Steve picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. “You need to find peace.” 

“We both do, Steve. After everything that happened with Thanos and the stones… losing Tony…I knew we had to visit this world. After such harshness from battle, such desolation, this is the place to be. I only wish Stark could be here with us.” 

Steve bowed his head and felt a surge of grief for their friend. Tony had saved them, and sacrificed himself… things wouldn’t be the same without him. 

“I wish he was too.” Suddenly the food didn’t satisfy him, so he dumped it back into one of the bags. “But now? You want to fly again, don’t you?” 

Thor smiled and tentatively stroked his beard. 

“Very much so, but now is not the best time. We wait for twilight first, when the city comes alive.” 

“Twilight. Sure. Enjoy it, you deserve it.” 

Thor laughed, and Steve’s face scrunched up. His nose wrinkled, and his eyes squinted as he tried to figure out what was so funny. Steve opened his mouth to ask, but Thor placed his hand on Steve’s forearm and nudged him with his elbow.

“We both deserve to soar!” Thor exclaimed, “You’ll fly with me!” 

Steve choked with disbelieving laughter. “Yeah, right!” 

Thor looked at him, amused and confused. He peered at the hammer which was sitting on the grass and keeping the napkins from drifting away in the wind, then he tapped it gently with his knuckles. 

“Fly with me, Steve!” 

“What?” 

“You can fly! This hammer will let you.” 

“You’re kidding, right?” He scoffed, “I don’t know how to fly!!” 

“You will. You’ll know when the time comes. The hammer will aid you… my powers will. I will.” 

Steve reached for the hammer. His fingers grazed the tip of the handle, there was a jolt of warmth, and the subtle colours in the Uru flickered in response to him. Steve turned his gaze back to Thor, and there was a crackle of excited energy in his eyes along with the beaming grin on his lips.

“Fly? Really?” 

“Really! Wait and see, Steven. Wait and see!” 

 

\---------------------------

Thor hadn’t been kidding when he said that Twilight was the best time. 

The sun sunk gradually, painting the sky with streaks of smokey orange and red. Lights in the city’s buildings began to appear, faint glowing yellow pinpricks, and the air started to sweeten, so with every breath, Steve took, he felt a growing euphoria within him. 

“It’s the flowers,” Thor said, standing up. The warm breeze whipped at his hair and cloak, and as Thor held Stormbreaker aloft, the air surged with anticipation, ready to have the Elemental God at its beckoning. “The pollen fills you with elation, it makes you want to be one with the sky. It’s glorious!” 

“It’s a good thing I don’t have a problem with allergies then.” 

“Indeed!” 

Thor didn’t need to explain further about these flowers, because a few minutes later, Steve saw that Thor wasn’t the only one who wanted to fly. 

It was what the people did here. How they could, was beyond Steve, and wasn’t important. Seeing and hearing their happiness, their calls to Thor to join them, was. 

“Are you ready, Captain Rogers?!” Thor asked, holding his hand out towards Steve. “Are you ready walk the skies with us?” 

“Yeah, sure!” 

Steve stood and picked up his hammer. He didn’t think he was ready, but the hammer certainly was. 

“Hey, Thor… what do you think about the name, Sky-Walker?” 

“Like the Jedi?” 

“Er…” Steve chuckled. During their downtime searching for the sceptre several years ago, Barton had made the team watch the Star Wars trilogy. The original. Thor had loved it. 

“Does it feel like it should be called Sky-walker?” Thor asked.

“Only one way to find out, I suppose.” 

Steve took up position next to Thor and looked up. 

His heart was racing, and Steve knew that Thor’s was too. It wasn’t until Thor took hold of Steve’s hand, lacing their fingers together, did Steve realise he had been shaking. He was nervous. 

Thor gave his hand a squeeze, and then he let go and rose up into the air with elegant and magnificent grace. For a good few seconds, Steve watched Thor hovering, looking every inch the God he was. Thor looked so happy, so in his element, that it was becoming contagious. 

_You know what to do._

The leather strap slipped around his wrist, and Steve began to spin the hammer in fast spinning circles. He then pointed it up, just like he had done against Thanos, and Steve lifted up off the ground. 

A little too fast. 

“Shiiiiiiiiit!!!” 

He couldn’t stop. Steve didn’t know how to and, because, the hammer was dragging him, pulling him, swooping only to avoid the other startled fliers, up towards the clouds. 

He clung on with both hands for dear life, and just when he thought he was going to go through the atmosphere of the planet and into outer space, Thor swooped up beside him, grabbed hold of him and gently descended them in slow circular motions. 

“Steady, Captain. Breathe…” 

It wasn’t easy, but eventually, the fear faded, and Steve’s head stopped spinning. 

“Are you all right?” Thor asked, as they continued to hover in the air, as Thor still maintained his firm grip around Steve’s waist. 

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“When I let go, don’t command the hammer where you wish to go, instead, feel what you want to do and where you want to go, and the hammer will respond to you. Eventually, it will know before you do… if that makes sense.” 

“I think so.” 

“You’ll get the hang of it. I know you will.” 

Thor was right. He tried again, and while Steve did still make mistakes and wobbled and shook more than he cared to, he flew. 

He actually flew! 

Together, with Thor, he soared high above the city and raced through the trees, with exhilaration surging in his veins. This is what real freedom felt like, and Steve had never felt more alive. He laughed, he yelled, he screamed with Thor, joyful cheers as they few faster and harder. They raced, they looped, they flew in tandem like a Red Arrows display. They didn’t want to stop. 

Then when darkness fell, Thor suddenly stopped Steve in mid-air, blocking his path. Thor retook hold of Steve’s hand and turned him to look towards the city. 

If it had been impressive during the day, it was nothing to what the city was now. 

The leaves on the trees had a bio-luminance. Bright blues, greens and purples lit up like millions of Christmas lights and bathed the black sky with tinges and hues of colour. It was beautiful beyond words and Steve was entranced. 

“We can stay here for as long as you like,” Thor’s voice softly whispered. "For as long as you need."

Steve had a guess that Thor didn’t want to leave this place, at least not for a long while, and he was inclined to agree. He didn’t want to leave either. 

“So…” 

“So?” 

“Will you be naming it, Sky-Walker?” 

Thor treaded his feet in the air as if he was walking, pulling Steve up with him to one of the trees. Thor released Steve’s hand and sat upon the branch. 

In that instant, Thor realised his mistake. 

Steve dropped out of the sky and crashed to the ground with a heavy thud. Thor rushed to his side and helped Steve sit up. He apologised profusely as his hands kept touching Steve, roaming over his body to check if he was injured. 

Steve was dazed, not from the fall or the impact, but the overwhelming sensations of Thor’s physical touch and the bombardment of worry. 

“I’m okay!” he gasped, “Thor, I’m all right!” 

“Oh, thank the Gods.”

“But…” 

“But what?!” There was a hint of panic in Thor’s voice. Steve couldn’t help but think it sweet Thor was so concerned. 

“I don't think the hammer wants to be called Sky-Walker.”


	3. I can do this all day - ("Bleeder of Ears?")

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sing, dance, and get in a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is another chapter of this fic, I hope you all enjoy this. Would've posted it up sooner, but damned work and RL got in the way. 
> 
> \------------------------

They lost count on how long they’d stayed on that last world. They had lost all sense of time, and the rest of the galaxy was forgotten as they immersed themselves in flight, enjoying their freedom and companionship. 

Thor and Steve simply lived, exploring the world and making new friends, Steve even got the chance to draw, but one day, something unexpected happened. 

For the first time in over 70 years, since he received the serum, Steve took ill. It wasn’t life-threatening, but somehow the serum wasn't able to stop the headaches. The headaches caused him to falter and lose concentration. Thor—bless him—was worried and took Steve to the hospital, where it was revealed that prolonged exposure to the flower’s pollen was affecting him and would get worse if he stayed. The doctors told him he could return after a month or so and only stay for short visits in the future.

While it was sad to leave, it was time for Thor and Steve to move on. 

Thor opened the Bifrost to another world. One that he hoped wouldn’t harm Steve. 

It was a world called Larraa, known to Thor for its people’s dedication and devotion to music.

Every building, from the largest music halls to the smallest restrooms were made for perfect acoustics, and proofed so nothing and no one could drown out anything else.

There were many different countries, all of which had a specific cultural and genre of music, along with instruments and natural wonders. 

Larraa-Kaatan was famous for the crystal caves, beautiful and intricate structures and formations of crystals which would resonate different tunes for whoever touched them. No one would hear the same thing, and when Thor took Steve there, he wished he could have heard what the Captain did because Steve was nearly moved to tears.

Larraa-Siiral had waterfalls, emerald green waters which spilt onto rocks and produced melodic sounds that varied with the seasons and the weather. It was Thor’s favourite place because he could make music just by manipulating the weather with his powers. Steve tried, but it nearly deafened them and upset some of the local wildlife. 

However, Steve and Thor did find the humour in the situation.

“I guess I need some more practice.” Steve joked as they walked up the long forest path back to town. 

“Yes. Yes, you do.” Thor was trying not to laugh. They both were but weren’t as successful as they snorted and sniggered through their restrained grins. 

“Thanks, Thor.” 

“It needed to be said. You were terrible. I think my ears are still bleeding.” 

“I wasn’t _that_ bad.” 

“Yes. You were. The animals are still in distress and will no doubt attack you to stop you from trying again.” 

“Do you want me to knock you out?” 

“Would love to see you try.” 

They both laughed and then began to spar like boys play fighting, hammer, axe and shield clanging together as if they were toys, not powerful weapons. 

“You should call the hammer, Bleeder of Ears.” 

“That’s an awful name! I’m not calling it that!” 

“It’s accurate.” 

Larraa-Siiral had quite a bit of rain the day they visited.

 

Larraa-Vakor had a forest called the Song of Souls, a sacred religious place, where it was said the souls of the dead sung to their loved ones, songs of hope for the future of their descendants. 

How it was possible, Thor didn’t know, but Thor heard songs from his mother, his brother and friends. Steve heard his mother’s as well, and he heard Peggy’s, which felt strange as it hadn’t been that long since he’d gone back and seen her. 

They both heard Tony’s song, a peculiarly soft and ethereal version of an AC/DC tune, Tony’s terrible singing also sounded as if he was actually there and it made them both smile. Steve and Thor imagined Tony stopping the song to make a comment. 

_“I feel that this is too much of a solemn hymn and not a kick-ass rock tune… can we take it up several million notches? I know you’re trees, and I’m dead, but we feel this, right? We can do better. This is for my boys here, and we need to put on a good show."_

 

But it was in Larraa-Cevin, the city where off worlders brought music from their homes, where things changed, or started to. This was the city where all the favourite shows, nightclubs and bars were, it was where the top artists from all around the world and beyond, performed.

It was Steve who found the bar. A lure of familiar and lively music drew Steve there, and Thor happily followed. 

They went down a flight of stone steps, ducked and turned sideways to get through a small door, and entered into what would have been a jive bar if they had been on Earth and back in the forties, but this wasn’t Earth. This was now and the people all sitting around the little tables, and dancing in the centre by the stage, were not human. 

Steve and Thor found a table in the corner of the room and ordered some drinks. They had barely sat down and taken a sip of whatever it was that smoking and bubbling in their glasses when two silver-skinned women grabbed hold of their hands and pulled them onto the dance floor. 

Thor knew how to dance. The woman who had chosen him, Kinash, knew how to dance too, and she could move. Thor had no problem with keeping time with her or lifting and swinging her, they had synchronicity that had them both laughing and cheering for joy. 

It was nothing compared to Steve and the woman Toranna. Where Thor had been the expert musician in Larraa-Siiral, Steve was the expert here. Eventually, the whole dance floor had to clear because everyone was watching Steve and Toranna. They danced flawlessly and with a speed that had Thor gobsmacked. Then, he was the loudest person cheering Steve on. 

The applause when the music finished, as Steve caught and dipped Toranna in a pose, was like thunder exploding again and again in the tiny bar, but that might have been Thor’s influence. However, everyone was ecstatic and congratulated the dancers. 

Toranna herself was impressed and hugged Steve in the way of thanks. She also gave him a rather passionate and hard kiss on his lips and said she would love to dance with him again. Steve, still a bit startled by her kiss, mumbled an _“I’d like that”_ but quickly went back to Thor and their drinks. 

“That was amazing, Steve!” Thor said as they clinked their glasses. The humble and almost shy smile on Steve’s face was endearing and made it Thor’s smile bigger, prouder. 

“Yeah, well… I had a good teacher.” 

“Peggy?” 

“The weeks I spent with her, she taught me a few moves.” 

“She is a _very_ good teacher then.” 

“Verily.” 

Thor laughed and patted him heartily on the back. They drank some and danced again with more women. They danced and celebrated way into the night until the musicians and a lot of the other people couldn’t keep up with their energetic pace. The bar eventually closed and Steve and Thor were the last to leave. 

Thor was a little bit tipsy, but they were in good spirits, singing together and waving Stormbreaker and the hammer around as if they were conducting music. Passerbys laughed and cheered at the two happy men, but all that merriness ended when someone grabbed hold of Thor’s neck and threw him up against the wall. 

“Lard arse!! You think you can make sways with our girls?!” 

Six huge silver skinned men surrounded Thor. Dressed in the fine black suits of the Larraa-Adarl aristocracy, the men had an air of superiority and entitlement that was sickening. Thor couldn't help but smile, because these morons had no idea they were about to attack the King of Asgard. Before he could say anything or do anything, Steve interjected. 

“Hey! Care to repeat what you just said?” 

The men all turned to Steve, who looked really pissed off. The men towered above Thor looked down to Steve and were offended that this tiny Terran was even talking to them. Their faces scrunched up as if they could smell something disgusting. Steve purposely pushed through two of the men so he could stand with Thor, but his eyes never looked away from the one who had called Thor a "lard arse." 

“Your fat fuck of a friend tried to seduce our girls in that bar. We’re going to teach him a lesson. You will get your turn.” 

“Apologise to him.” Steve’s voice threatened. “Then I’m sure we can talk like reasonable adults.”

“I’m not apologising to that fat freak.” 

The punch came out of nowhere. There was a crack, and the man hit the ground with a thud. 

Thor happily watched Steve fight the six men with his bare fists. Every so often, the shield would fly out of Thor’s hand, and Steve would catch it, use it and throw it back to Thor. The men were brutal and persistent, they honestly thought they could take Steve down, but he was quicker and much more agile. 

Thor felt Steve's adrenalin flow through the hammer in his hand. He also felt Steve's anger and confidence, along with the thrill of the fight Steve was experiencing. The hammer was vibrating, pulsing, and fidgeting as Mjolnir used to, for it wanted to be used. It wanted to be in the fight as much as Thor did. 

“Do you need help, Steve?” 

“Nope! I got this!” 

“Are you sure?” 

“I can do this all day!” 

Thor chuckled. He didn’t doubt that, but the six men probably wouldn’t last much longer, yet they didn’t look like they were going to give up.

“What about Justice Smiter?” Thor casually stated, which distracted Steve momentarily and got him a blow to his face. Thor grimaced. “Sorry! Er, Patriot’s Wrath?”

“No! No way!” 

“Steve’s Hammer?” 

“Really?!!” 

“Yeah, I wasn’t really trying with that one.”

“To hell with this, I’ve had enough.” 

Steve ducked to avoid a punch, and in one fluid motion kicked one of the men in the chest to send him flying back. Just as the other five were about to come at Steve again, Steve reached his arm out, and the hammer flew to his hand. 

He lept in the air, lifting his arm and the hammer up. A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and hit the hammer, charging it with power. When Steve landed, he slammed the hammer down onto the ground. The lightning travelled along the ground and impacted with the men, knocking them out. 

Steve was still trying to get his breath back as a crowd of onlookers came to see if he, and the unconscious men, were all right. 

"They're okay," Steve checked if the little mob of thugs were not too badly injured. He had used the power of the hammer but didn't use it all. These weren't demi-gods or mad titans after all. 

Steve had a bleeding lip, and a section of his shirt was ripped. When the onlookers continued to check over the attackers, some proclaiming that as the men were high-class members of a prestigious music university, and "shit was going to happen", Steve walked away. 

Thor couldn’t help himself. He pulled Steve away from the crowd and enveloped Steve in another hug. 

“You started a fight for me?” Thor asked. 

Steve wrapped his arms around Thor and squeezed. 

“You’d do the same for me.” 

That was true, but Thor knew why Steve really did this.

People had mocked Thor because of his weight gain. The Midgardian news and media had ridiculed him instead of thanking him for saving the planet. They joked about his appearance instead of trying to understand, and it hurt. The rabbit and even some of his other friends had made comments that cut deep, but they knew differently now. Steve did make sure of that. 

“No one speaks to my Thor like that,” Steve said. 

_My?!_

Thor reacted on instinct to that little slip. He broke the hug, gently grabbed Steve’s face and planted a big sloppy kiss to his lips. It was only for a second, but it was enough to have the two of them grinning and blushing for a few moments, like shy boys. 

Thor cleared his throat with a nervous cough. “Thank you, Steven. You really are a true and dear friend.” 

Thor wasn’t entirely sure, but he could have sworn he saw a sad glimmer in the Captain’s eye, at the mention of the word ‘friend.’ 

“No one, calls you those things, Thor.” Steve cupped Thor’s cheek and gave it a pat. “No one.”


	4. "What's it like to make it rain?  ( My Little Rainmaker)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor and Steve are sent to a world where it desperately needs to rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, 
> 
> Oh gods, this has not been easy! lol I was supposed to finish this and update this ages ago, but with the broken wrist, it's taken a while. I hope those who are following this will enjoy it. Not beta'd.
> 
> \-----------------------------

Earth hadn’t been the only planet affected by Thano’s snap. 

Chanral was a harsh planet plagued with devastating sandstorms and severe droughts. While the indigenous people had adapted to some extent, the snap had nearly wiped them out. The technologies they had created to help them survive broke when there weren’t enough experts to maintain or repair them. 

The Chanralians were desperate. 

After receiving Carol’s message, Thor and Steve went to Chanral to give aid. 

The Bifrost dropped them in the middle of a desert. Sand dunes stretched for miles. There were no towering cities or dense forests and mountain ranges. The only visible presence on this world hung above the horizon, still and desolate machines that should have been turning slowly in clunking jerking motions sucking at the air to get any kind of moisture from it. 

Thankfully Thor had prepared him and Steve for the weather. He had quick-changed them both into appropriate attire, robes that covered them from head to toe and protected them against the biting sands. 

When the swirling winds made by the Bifrost dissipated and the sand settled, Steve let the covering drop from his face and pushed up his goggles. The two men looked at their surroundings and shielded their eyes with their hands to glimpse at the structures hanging in the sky.

It was only a few minutes later that Steve noted movement from one of the nearby dunes. His eyes strained a little but eventually adjusted and saw five people coming towards them. When they approached, Steve felt his heart ache at the sight of them. 

The Chanralians were so thin. Their skin was pale like the sand, and the natural grainy texture of their skin looked like lesions instead of their usual sparkly glow. The three men and two women were wary of Thor and Steve, and one reached out towards Steve with a long bony hand.

“There is nothing here for you!” The woman’s voice croaked. “We can give you nothing! Leave!”

Steve was going to say something, but Thor stepped forward and pulled his hood down to reveal his face completely. He leaned down to the woman, his eyes so full of sympathy.

“I am Thor Odinson, King of New Asgard. This is my friend and companion, Steve Rogers. We came here at the bequest of Carol Danvers. We’re here to help you.”

The five Chanralians all looked to each other with hope and chattered in their own language. Carol’s name was muttered, they knew her, but they looked back to Steve and Thor in confusion. 

“How can you help us?!” the woman asked. “You are just two!”

Thor didn’t say a word. He continued to smile, and his eyes began to glow.

There were gasps when the sky blackened with storm clouds. The people jumped with fright when thunder rumbled and boomed, and then there were beautiful cries of joy when the clouds opened up, and rain showered down upon them all. 

The five people cheered and cried as they lifted their arms up to catch the rain and feel it on their skin. They were overjoyed, and Thor kept the rain coming, watching as the immediate change took over. 

The sands darkened, thickened. Then from beneath the dunes, dark brown crystalline trees sprouted and grew branches filled with what Steve could only describe as pinecones. The five people themselves were transformed, their skin darkened black from the rain, and the lesions were now sparkling grains, like gleaming gemstones embedded in their skin. 

One woman rushed to Thor and hugged him, before joining the others as they pulled some of the pinecones from the trees and began eating them. As they were doing this, Steve was surprised to see about ten more people emerge from nowhere and began to feed off the trees as well. 

Soon, twenty people were engorging on the pinecones and rejoicing in the rain. They were dancing and cheering, with new healthy vigour and praising Thor as a God. 

Thor never asked them to stop praising him. He didn’t deny that he was a God or protest, but he didn’t relish their praise either. Thor wasn’t boasting or bragging about his powers, he was just standing there.

Drenched like everyone else, Thor was looking up at the clouds and rain he had created with a sad expression on his face. 

“This is but one place, Steve,” Thor said, breaking his gaze from the sky and back to the people who were still embracing the rain. “This planet is vast, and there are still others on the other side of this world who need me. This is only a tempory measure. I cannot keep it raining in my absence.” 

“Thor, you can’t blame yourself for this.” 

“But I do. My failure to stop Thanos the first time has done this to them. I am responsible.”

“Thor, to put it bluntly, that’s bullshit. Thanos was the one who did this. Thanos. Not you. Secondly, we’re here. We can provide a tempory measure, help them as much as we can before they can get back to helping themselves. Those machines up there… they’re supposed to help make it rain, right?” 

Thor sighed and smiled in gratitude for Steve, saying this. He rested his hand on Steve’s shoulder and patted it, but Steve could still see the sadness behind his crackling blue eyes. 

“Danvers said that the machines no longer work,” Thor said, sadly. “They were supposed to be on continuously, but when the snap happened those who kept them going vanished and the machines stopped working. They cannot be started again. They tried. Carol tried and was unsuccessful.”

“We can try, can’t we?” 

“I don’t see how I can make the machines work if someone as powerful as Captain Danvers cannot!”

“Hey!” Steve didn’t mean to snap so harshly, and immediately grabbed hold of Thor’s hand which held Stormbreaker. “Please… don't doubt yourself, Thor. You and Carol have completely different powers… maybe a bit of lightning might jump-start the machines. Let’s try. Let’s see if you can.” 

Some of the Chanralians overheard this, and all of them began to cheer again, and they crowded around Thor and Steve to hug them. Both of them did their best to not push them away too hard, as they were getting swamped. 

“I can’t promise Thor will succeed!” Steve told them in an attempt to calm them down. “Please, don’t get your hopes up.”

It didn’t matter to them. That these visitors to their world were willing to try, was enough. Even all this rain was something. 

Steve suggested that first, they bring immediate aid to the rest of the world. They needed to make it rain and provide instant relief for the others who might still be alive before tackling the machine problem. 

When they moved on, to one of the planet’s worst affected areas, Thor became even more disheartened, and Steve had to do something. 

He took hold of Thor’s hand, which prompted a mild look of surprise on Thor’s face and a little electric shock. Steve interlaced their fingers, and both of them smiled as their hands squeezed together.

“What’s it like to make it rain?” 

A rumble of thunder sounded in the sky, a reply to Steve’s question, which he strangely understood.

_Try it and find out!_

He closed his eyes and felt sadness, mixed in with guilt and blame. Yet, when Steve squeezed Thor’s hand again, the thunder replied, and there was hope. An uplifting hope swirled and surged within Steve’s chest, through his entire body, along with immense and almost overwhelming gratification, respect, loyalty, and… worship?

Thor felt all this. These were his emotions, and his power Steve was experiencing and sharing. 

“The rain feels as I,” Thor said, which didn’t make a lot of sense to Steve. Rain can’t feel surely. Thor was mildly amused by Steve's confusion. “You wish to know what it’s like to make the rain?” 

Thor gestured for Steve to lift up his hammer, and when Steve did so, it was instantaneous. The Thunder called out again, nervous and unsure, inquisitive… just what Steve was feeling. A few seconds later, droplets of rain spat here and there, almost as if something wasn’t sure if they were supposed to fall from the sky. 

Cold drips splattered on Steve’s face, and he looked upward to see the sporadic dark clouds above. 

As the Chanralians all began to relish and rejoice in the rain, Steve sensed something else.

Nature itself was relinquishing to him, just a little bit, just enough to keep the rain light. If it was anything Steve could actually describe, it felt like trying to control a horse or beast, one that was wild and dangerous but at the same time magnificent and glorious. Yet Steve smiled as it felt like nature was coiling around Thor, a familiar element which it loved, and was being cautious with Steve. It was testing him, wary until Steve could prove himself. 

“It’s okay to be afraid,” Thor whispered. “But you’re worthy… you’ll be accepted.” 

Steve took a deep breath and relaxed. He held up the hammer in offering, and the lightning struck with a huge force. Like a kick to the stomach.

The drips turned into a torrent. 

Steve didn’t hear the ecstatic cries of the people around him. As the lightning rippled over and through his body, it felt like he was play wrestling with nature and he couldn’t stop laughing. At first, Steve couldn’t control it, the wind whipped him hard, but after a while, he was spinning and floating in the air, and it was a rush. 

It was more than diving out of a plane without a parachute. It was greater than travelling faster than light through space, by ship or Bifrost. It was scary and fun, making nature do tricks and bringing the rain, but eventually, Steve stopped, panicked by the overwhelming amount of power he was playing with. 

A fearful doubt that he shouldn’t be toying with nature—he wasn’t God—nearly had Steve falling back to the ground, but he was caught in a sudden gust of wind that carried him up high above the storm clouds. Still panicking, Steve began to hyperventilate, something he hadn't done since before he received the serum. He didn't register it at first, but Thor was holding him again, facing him and supporting Steve with squeezing hugs as Steve tried to gain some semblance of control over his breathing and over the insane experience of what was going on. 

_We’ve got you._

Thor’s hands rubbed at Steve’s back, and then one reached up to slick back Steve’s hair before gently cupping his face. 

_It’s all right. Let it happen. We can do this together._

It was Thor’s voice he heard, that much Steve was certain, but it wasn’t just him speaking. 

_Is this what you thought, Steven? Did you ever imagine that it would feel like this?_

No. Steve never thought it would be anything like this, what he imagined didn’t even come close. How was this even possible? 

_It’s okay, my little Rainmaker. Just breathe. You’ll get used to it._

Steve leaned forward and rested his forehead against Thor’s as he struggled to regain his breath. Thor held him and tried to help Steve by, bizarrely, puffing and panting as if he was helping a woman give birth instead of helping Steve calm down. Thor's method didn't work for Bruce in keeping the Hulk calm on some previous occasions, but for Steve it was funny, and a little endearing. 

Steve snorted in amusement, which set both of them off into hysterics. Their laughter was accompanied by successive booms of thunder beneath them, the sea of black churning clouds sparked with lightning as if they too were amused. It was good to see Thor smiling and laughing, Steve didn't want him to be blaming himself anymore for what the Snap did to the galaxy. He wanted to see Thor like this, happy. 

_It’s pretty wild, Little Rainmaker, do you want to keep going?_

“What? Are you getting sleepy all of a sudden?” 

Thor laughed, and his head slipped down to thump against Steve’s shoulder. He pretended to snore which only made Steve laugh more.

_We can do this all day, Little Rainmaker._

Steve rolled his eyes, lifted Thor’s head off his shoulder, and playfully slapped his cheek.

“Rainmaker can go on the shortlist of names, Thor, okay?” 

A warm breath puffed against Steve’s ear, a light chuckle and a static shock from a mouth that was awfully close was followed by a whisper that made something inside Steve quiver.

_It’s a name for you, not the hammer._

Steve gulped. "Er? Little?" 

_The Asgardian Elemental is bigger._

That was not Thor talking and it wasn't referring to the hammers. 

"How about Captain Rainmaker?" Steve grimaced at the name. It didn't sound right for him or the hammer. 

_Can we just make it rain?_

Steve closed his eyes. An approving crash of thunder sounded in his ears, and he smiled.

He found the connection again, the wind roared in cheer, and the whole sky lit up with explosive flashes of lightning coiling round both men. 

“Let’s go and save this world then. Whadya say?” 

The look on Thor’s face, and the squeeze of his hand in Steve’s, it said he was ready. He wasn't going to wallow in grief and guilt any more. 

He was ready to try. 

"Let's do this... together, Steve."


End file.
